Refrigerator.



No. 877,496. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908. G.FRANK.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1906.

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No. 877,496. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908. G. FRANK.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1906.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

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No. 877,496. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908.

G. FRANK. REFRIGERATOR.

PPPP IGATION FILED MAY 31. 1906.

GUSTAV FRANK, OF JEFFERSON, TEXAS.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1908.

Application filed May 31,1906. Serial No. 19,63

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV FRANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jefferson, in the county of Marion and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerators such as are provided with means for permitting free circulation of air between the ice box and provision chamber when the refrigerator door is closed, and for automatically stopping such circulation when the door is opened, whereby to prevent rapid melting of ice. In the construction of such refrigerators heretofore the valves and valve operating mechanism for controlling communication between the different parts of the refrigerator, have been extremely complicated and expensive in construction. Furthermore, they have been built into the refrigerator along with the ice box, so that it was difficult if not impossible to gain access to them for cleaning or repair.

One object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the valve mechanism and other parts so as to decrease the expense attending their manufacture and to render them easily accessible for cleaning or repair.

A further object of the invention is to provide, as a new article of manufacture, a strong, durable and inexpensive ice pan which is provided with valves and valve operating mechanism to be actuated by the refrigerator door, and which can be removably placed in the upper portion of any suitable kind of refrigerator so as to provide automatic means for shutting off communication with the ice box when the refrigerator door is opened, and for permitting communication when the door is closed, it being understood that the improved ice pan of this invention, if desired, can be placed on the market as a complete article of commerce, and can be removably placed in the upper end of an old refrigerator by the purchaser.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a refrigerator in which the improved ice pan is removably placed.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the refrigerator below the ice pan looking upward. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the improved ice pan removed from the refrigerator, and showing it as it will generally be placed upon the market. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a convenient form of ice tray. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a refrigerator embodying the present improvements, a portion of said refrigerator being broken away to show the interior construction.

Like reference numerals indicate corre sponding parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The numeral 1 indicates the improved ice pan which preferably is constructed of sheet metal, although it can, of course, be constructed of any other suitable material. The ice pan 1 is of any suitable size and shape adapted to be removably fitted into the upper end of any desired style of refrigerator and supported therein upon ledges, brackets or other suitable devices. The ice pan 1 18 provided at its edge with a rim or wall 2 which is adapted to prevent waste water from running over the edge of the pan into the provision chamber of the refrigerator. The waste water escapes from the pan 1 by means of a waste pipe 3 which is suitably secured to the pan.

Extending across each end of the pan 1 is a hollow flange 4 which, as hereinafter described, forms a combined waste water dam and valve hinge. Between each flange 4 and the adjacent end of the ice pan, is a valve opening 5 which is adapted to be closed by a valve 6 preferably actuated by gravity. Each valve 6 at its pivot end preferably is formed with an upwardly extending portion 7 which projects into the hollow flange 4 and permits upward pivotal movement of the valve at its opposite end. The free end of each valve 6 when in closed position rests on a ledge 8 which limits its downward movement. The valves 6 preferably are employed to permit the passage of warm air in an upward direction from the lower chamber or provision chamber of the refrigerator to the upper end of the upper or ice chamber. Suitable means are provided for guiding the warm air up to the upper end of the ice cham ber, which means, in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, consist of guides or deflectors 99 attached to the ends of the ice pan and extending upward, said guides being reinforced or braced preferably by side flanges or ribs which also serve to confine the warm air between the guides and the ends of the ice chamber.

Formed preferably near the central portion of the ice pan 1 is a rectangular opening 10 which is surrounded by a waste water dam 1 1 the opposite ends of which are in the form of hollow flanges. \The valve opening 10 is adapted to be closed preferably by a pair'of' overlapping gravity-actuated valves 1213, the upper one of which is adapted to be opened slightly before the other in a manner hereinafter described, whereby to prevent them from accidentally failing to close en-- tirely. The downward movement of the valves 1213 is limited by ledges 14-14 formed at the sides of the valve opening 10. Each of the valves 12-13 is formed with an upwardly extending portion 15 which. fits into the adjacent hollow flange or water dam 11 and forms an extremely simple and ineX pensive form of hinge, which as will be ap parent, permits the valve to be raised up and easily withdrawn by hand when it is desired to wash, repair or replace the same by a new valve when worn. Each of the valves 12 13 on its lower side is provided with a wear plate 16, the purpose of which will presently appear.

. The means or mechanism which it is pre-' ferred to employ for operating the valves 66 and 12'13 comprises a shaft 17 which is rotatably suspended close against the under side of the ice pan 1 by means of plates or journal bearings 18 suitably secured to the 4 ice pan. Near its center, the shaft 17 is prowith crank portions 2222 having curled or vided with a crank member 19 which is adapted, when the shaft 17 is partially rotated, to strike against and raise the valves 1213. The operation of causing the valve 13, the edge of which when closed overlaps or rests on top of the valve 12, to open slightly before the valve 12 and to close slightly after the closing of said valve 12 is effected by arranging the corner 20 of the crank 19 nearer to the pivot or fulcrum point of the valve 13 than the corner 21 is to the fulcrum point of the lower valve 12. In this way, when the shaft 17 is rotated, the valve 13 is raised slightly in advance of valve 12 and is lowered slightly thereafter, as before intimated, whereby the two valves are prevented from accidentally becoming engaged and holding each other in raised position. The wear plates 16 on the valves 1213 are adapted to be engaged by the corners 20 and 21 of the crank 19, so as to receive the wear and prevent the valves from being worn through.

At its opposite ends, the shaft 17 is formed rounded ends 23 adapted to contact with and raise the valves 6-6. The curled ends 23 generally avoid Wear on the valves 6-6 and permit wear plates such as 16 to be dispensed such plates the shaft 17 that any longitudinal displace' ment of said shaft is prevented. At one point in its length, the shaft 17, is provided with a depending crank member 24 arranged at a right angle to the crank members 19 and 2227 which normally lie flat against the lower sides of the adjacent valves. Connected with the depending crank 24 is a link member 25 the end of which projects outwardly beyond the margin of the pan and is supported in horizontal position by any suitable hanger such as 26 connected with the ice pan.

The ice pan 1 is shown as supported on the ledge 27 in the upper end of the refrigerator 28 which may be of any suitable form and construction having means to support the ice pan therein so that the outer end of the link 25 projects into the path of movement of the refrigerator door 29. The link 25 is so arranged with respect to the door that it contacts with said door closely adjacent to the hinged end thereof instead of near the latch end thereof. In this way an important advantage is secured, as the movement of the linkis slower, a greater leverage is secured, the door is easier to close, the valves open slowly,

I and jarring of the valve mechanism due to the slamming of the refrigerator door, is reduced to a minimum.

The means which it is preferred to employ for supporting ice above the pan 1 so that it will not interfere with the operation of the valves 1213, consists preferably of a tray 30 supported by longitudinal flanges 31.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent, that when the refrigerator door 29 is closed, the shaft 17 is partially rotated so as to open the valves 66 and '1 213 thus permitting warm air from the lower or provision chamber to ascend through the valve openings 55 and be conducted by the air guides 99 upward to the top of the ice chamber, where it is cooled by'contact with the ice and descends in the ice chamber around the sides of the ice tray 30 and through the central valve opening 10 from which it sinks into the provision chamber, where it remains until it absorbs sufficient warmth to repeat the operation.

It will be obvious that many changes in the embodiment of invention shown and described can be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the central valves 1213 and one of the air guides 9 can be omitted so that the air will ascend through one valve 6 and descend through the other valve 6 from whichtheguide 9 has been removed.

The improved constructionlofi this invention is extremely simple, inexpensive, compact, durable and efiicient.

While the improved ice pan of this invention has been described as particularly adapted for removable connection with the upper end of a refrigerator, it is to be distinctly understood that wherever necessary or desirable the improved ice pan can be permanently secured in the upper end of the refrigerator. In some cases it is desirable to secure the ice pan permanently in position in order to secure a tight fit which will prevent the escape of cold air when the refrigerator door is open. In other cases however, where an old refrigerator is equipped with a defective form of ice pan, it will be desirable to provide the same with an ice pan constructed in accordance with the present invention.

It is obviously desirable to have the doors or valves 12 and 13 lap at their meeting edges because the tight closing of the opening is therefore insured and the passage of warm air upward through the opening and into the ice compartment is absolutely prevented while these valves or doors are closed. Also as it is necessary for one of the doors to fold downward onto the other it is desirable to have the doors open and close successively in the manner hereinbefore described so that there will be no danger of their contacting while being closed so as to prevent the completion of their. downward movement.

What I claim is 1. The combination with the wall of a refrigerator and a door, said refrigerator hav ing an upper ice compartment and a lower provision compartment; of deflectors disposed. adjacent the sides of and within the ice compartment and forming warm air lines, each of said fiues having an opening at the lower end thereof, a valve dis osed to close each of said openings, said va ve being normally seated by gravity, said ice compartment having a central cold air outlet, oppositely disposed hinged valves normally seated by gravity above the outlet to close the same, one of said valves being disposed to normally lap the other valve, a rock shaft j ournaled below the valves, arms at the ends thereof disposed to bear upon and open the valves in the warm air lines, a crank formed with the rock shaft and disposed to contact with the central valves to raise them, means V detached from and operated by the closing of the door for actuating the shaft to open the valves, and means for preventing the flow of liquid from the bottom of the ice compartment into the openings.

2. The combination with the walls of a refri erator and. a door; of an ice pan having a va ve opening adjacent each end and an opening adjacent the center thereof,- means upon the pan for preventing the flow of water through the openings from the pan, hinged valves detachably connected to the pan and normally closing the end openings, oppositely disposed hinged valves detachably con-.

nected to the pan and normally overlapping and closing the central opening, a rock shaft having integral means for simultaneously contacting with and raising the valves, a link connected to the rock shaft and adapted to be actuated by the closing of the door to 0 en the valves, a guide for said. link, and de ectors disposed Within the pan and adjacentthe ends thereof, said deflectors forming flues above the end openings.

3. The combination with the walls of a re,- frigerator and a door; of an ice pan, end deflectors therein forming end flues, said pan having end openings in the bottoms of the end flues, an opening adjacent the center of the pan and between the flues, means for preventing the flow of water from the pan and into the openings, hinged valves adapted to be seated by gravity upon the pan to close the end openings, oppositely disposed hinged valves normally overlappin and seated by gravity upon the pan to close the central opening, a rock shaft extending under and journaled upon the pan, cranks extending from the ends of the shaft and ada ted to contact with and raise the end va ves, a crank intermediate the ends of the shaft and adapted to contact with and raise the central valves, the corners of said crank being adapted to contact with the respective central valves at different distances from their hinges, a crank depending from the shaft, and a link pivotally connected thereto and adapted to be actuated by the closing of the door to rock the shaft and raise the valves.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAV FRANK.

WVitnesses:

H. A. SPELLING, J. D. SHACKELFORD. 

